Statesman Isn't Dead
by PandaValentine
Summary: And only Lady LoveDie knows what to do about it.
1. 2 Praetorians & a Cave

"Statesman isn't dead!" Lady LoveDie said without preamble.

"Mmmmm." Sakiya replied, noncommittally, appearing to look around the dirty, dingy cavern in which Lady Lovedie has chosen to meet.

Sakiya, with what remained of her eyes wrapped behind bandages could not "see" in the traditional sense but she could perceive, through a combination of telepathy and connection to the world around her, to a degree of clarity that those who still possessed vision could not.

As such she was wholly unimpressed with the fact that the filthy water trapped in the cave by the rising tide was staining the bottom of her new pants.

"Statesman is not dead, he is trapped in his own past by Lord Recluse." Lady LoveDie, an odd looking woman with pure white hair and skin and glowing eyes, stressed to her friend.

"I know. I got the same mission briefing from Mender Silos." Sakiya said, waiting patiently for Lady LoveDie to get to the point of this clandestine meeting.

"Don't you think that is a little...odd?" Lady LoveDie asked, a pointed look on her bleach white features "Hundreds, possibly thousands of Incarnate level Operatives all traversing the time stream at once in order to retrieve the same man on the orders of someone who is has set himself up as something of a Guardian of the time stream?"

Sakiya agreed. She had her own thoughts on the matter but it was not in her nature to volunteer information. She also knew her friend well enough to know that if she just waited long Lady LoveDie would continue and, more likely than not, Lady LoveDie's thoughts on the issue would coincide with Sakiya's own.

Mender Silos had explained the need to rescue Marcus Cole multiple times by multiple people but the excuse has seemed far to convenient to both Sakiya and Lady LoveDie.

Supposedly, due to being abducted at the point of death, traveling through time whilst dead to be revived in the past has established Statesman being imprisoned in his own past as the Status Quo.  
Time itself would resist any attempts to change that.

Like a rubber band stretching only to snap back when the rescuer attempted to return to the future. Time would revert itself to the Status Quo. To save Statesman they would have to stretch that metaphorical rubber band so many times that it eventually weakened and broke, leaving Statesman in the present day.

It all sounded perfectly plausible and no doubt many a Hero, pure of heart and full of do gooder tendencies would swallow the explanation without hesitation.

To a pair of Rogues such as Sakiya and Lady LoveDie, who were skilled manipulators themselves, it sounded entirely too contrived. It did not help that neither woman trusted Mender Silos at all.

Now Sakiya understood why Lady LoveDie had wanted to meet in a dirty, cramped cave that, thanks to the rising of the tide, was only accessible for a few hours of the day. Not only that but the cave itself was located on the shoreline of Cimorea, a place that only those with Midnighter Club membership could access.

Lady LoveDie had wanted, and attained, absolute privacy for their conversation.

Feeling that her words had had their desired effect and that she had Sakiya's full attention Lady LoveDie continued, sweeping some pure white fringe from her glowing eyes.

The tide had raised the water level in the cave from the tops of her feet to above her ankles but it went unnoticed.

"What if it isn't multiple people rescuing the same Statesman but multiple Coles being plucked from multiple dimensions and being brought to Ouroborus?"

Sakiya had had similar thoughts to the question her friend posed. Perhaps that was why the women who were far more likely to betray one another as hardened Rogues had developed such a lasting friendship.  
They were both as half crazy as each other.

"The thought occurred to me also that if Mender Silos really wanted to save Marcus Cole so that the Mighty Statesmen could help fight the Coming Storm why would Silos want Cole brought before him when Cole is weakened from revival and quite possibly beaten, tortured and staved by Arachnos Troops. If Mender Silos' end game was simply Cole being alive at the time the Storm hits there are easier ways of going about that that does not involve a vulnerable Statesman being brought before a future version of Lord Nemesis." Sakiya nodded.

"Exactly." Lady LoveDie nodded, the glow of her eyes, a product of the bio energy stored in her body, brightened enough to start to illuminate the inside of the cave. "I thought, at first, that Nemesis just wanted the satisfaction of finishing Statesman off once and for all but then I got to thinking."

"Was this thinking aided by 3 or 4 vodka's?" Sakiya asked, voice full of rich humor as she knew her friend well.

"Quite possibly." Lady LoveDie returned, undaunted. "Have you ever seen a Cimorean version of Nemesis? Or a Praetorian one, for that matter? There seems to be a plethora of other dimensional versions of the super heroes and villains we've clashed with but only one Nemesis. How do we know he doesn't become Silos in the future by adsorbing alternate versions of himself."

Sakiya started and even with the bandages across her friends' eyes Lady LoveDie could read the surprise on Sakiya's grey features.

"That would make sense." Sakiya began slowly, turning her friends' words over in her mind. "A disturbing level of sense, actually. Nemesis is so prideful he would only accept the best for himself and he thinks no one better than himself!"

"If he has been alive for thousands of years it is possible he has run out of versions of himself to harvest. His next logical choice would be Statesman!" Lady LoveDie added.

"Then Recluse... oh no...then us! We cannot be the only people to have thought of this. Surely anyone who knows that Silos and Nemesis are one and the same..."

"Maybe." Lady LoveDie cut her friend off. "Maybe they dismissed such thoughts as craziness. Maybe, just maybe, you and I are the only ones who are just crazy enough to logic and reason in the same way a madman like Silos does."

"But we're sane enough not to attempt World Domination." Sakiya quipped before growing serious. "What is your plan?

"To go back in time and rescue Cole, this Cole, Primal Earth Cole, without Silos knowing. I'll bring him to the now...then wing it" Lady LoveDie shrugged.

"Wing it?!" Sakiya tone was both incredulous and indignant. "What sort of plan is that?!"

"No plan. Plans can be interrupted, stolen, interpreted. If even I don't know what my next move is neither can anyone else."

There was a long, pregnant silence before Sakiya spoke again.

"That is absolutely idiotic but insane enough to work. I have to wonder, though, for what purpose? If Silos is adsorbing multiple Statesmen from multiple dimensions denying him just 1 isn't going to make much difference in terms over power levels."

Lady Lovedie considered this for a moment, the rising sea water now almost to her knees.

"If we're wrong, if Silos' motivations are noble then I've fulfilled the necessary task to weather the Coming Storm. Marcus Cole is rescued from the past and the Universe is saved. If we're right, even partially, and this is all a Nemesis Plot then I've bought us...I don't know... a roll of the dice, a gambit we didn't have before. As a Rogue you know as well as I do how sometimes an insignificant detail that someone else overlooked can turn the tide of a disaster."

"True... where will you take him? The Menders can see through out time. Silos will wonder why an Incarnate failed such a simple task."

"I never signed up for the task." Lady LoveDie revealed with a brazen smile "I was able to learn the detail from others. There is nothing like 7 vodkas and flashing ones cleavage to get tongues loosened."

Sakiya gave a bark of laughter. Despite not being able to see her Sakiya knew her friend would be clad in something tight and skin baring.

"The Dream Doctor warded the Midnight Club against Ouroborian spies, although taking Statesman there runs the risk of someone recognizing him. There is only 1 place I can think of where Silos would never think, not even in a millennium, to look for Statesman." Lady LoveDie continued.

"Ouroborus itself... you are, without a doubt, completely and utterly insane, you know that?" Sakiya pronounced but Lady LoveDie merely smirked, flashing small, well formed fangs.


	2. Easier in Practise than Therory

Pain.

Lancing through his body.

The bars of his cell were electrified and when he had stumbled against them the current had shot through his body like a white hot blade.

Statesman gritted his teeth against the pain and straightened his body, refusing to let the faceless Bane Spider guards have a moment of enjoyment at his expense.

He fell often. A product of the starvation, or the beatings, or both. It was irrelevant, much like the date. Day or night had blended into one another, no doubt due to the sleep deprivation.

He was aware, when he could make his mind focus on half an hours sleep and through the constant pain, that he had been incarcerated for at least a month. He knew this solely due to having seen a full moon twice through the small sliver of sky he could see from the cell window.

The window was surprisingly large, given the barbaric conditions of the rest of his jail but the towering urban sprawl of the heavily fortified Grandville meant that the majority of time all Statesman could see was gray, overbearing buildings and pollution darkened sky.

Nightly coastal winds swept the pollution away toward late evening, leaving a teasing, tempting glimpse of stars at night. It was practically poetic in its torment.

The tattered remains of his once iconic uniform clung to his emaciated body. Only the mask, once worn beneath his face piece, remained undamaged.

One of the guards, an arrogant looking Fortunata, had thrown an Arachnos uniform at him with a cruel, smug smirk. The look in her eyes had been taunting. Go on, they had said, clad yourself in the insignia of your enemy.

In front of her, Statesman had spat on the uniform and it remained where it had landed.

He would rather go naked. His pride would not bend, not even an inch. At the moment his Pride was a self defense mechanism that was keeping him sane, keeping him alive.

Marcus Cole knew all to well how easy it would be, how much more comfortable he would be if he turned his back on the ideals that made him everything he was. He would only have to say it, even if it was all lies but his pride would not let him do that. Not even for his own survival.

He would rather live as he was, in filth and in chains, with the knowledge that never did he break down, never did he compromise.

Arching, hungry and in rags the once Mighty Statesman sat on the filthy bed. The ugly red security lights accentuating the hollows of his cheeks and the shadows beneath his bloodshot eyes.

He wished he could sleep but knew the moment he tried the Bane Spider Guards, 4 of them in matched faceless helmets and black uniforms, would attack him with their weapons and torment him to keep him awake.

The constant hum of noise from the busy Arachnos base didn't help his ability to sleep, even when he was occasionally assigned Guards who were more compassionate. There was a particular Arbiter who, being of high rank, was assigned guard duty of Statesman alone. Marcus never caught the Arbiter's name but the man stood motionless and silent during any guard duty which, mercifully, allowed Statesman several hours sleep.

_The electrical white noise seems...different _– Statesman noticed, blue eyes glancing around wearily.

The Bane Spiders seemed to have noticed it too, instead of lounging against walls, or reading magazines they were on their feet and alert.

The noise, which was usually a constant drone, seemed sharper and louder than he could remember hearing it before. There was something else, something unusual that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

Statesman cursed his fogged, sleep deprived mind.

"I can't hear nothing." one of the Bane Spiders grunted to the others, who all nodded their agreement. Their helmets were shielded against electronic interference so that they could pay attention to more important noises like those of orders being given or someone breaking in.

_No voices, or footsteps_ – Statesman realized. That was the oddity.

Even with the electrical drone it was normal to hear voices of people coming and going on other levels. The base was a lattice work of wire and metal, the acoustics were shocking and sounds from even 2 levels up often permeated down to the prison level.

"What was that?" One of the lower ranking Bane Spiders asked, readying his weapon in response to the sound of inhuman laughter. Mechanical, childish and electronic Statesman couldn't recall having ever heard laughter like that before.

One of the more experienced Bane Spiders recognized it clearly, however.

"Gremlins." he snarled. "Some damn Super has gotten into the base. Trying to start trouble with Arbiter Nolan, no doubt."

"They won't come down here. Get back to your post." The command was directed to the lower ranked Bane Spider before the guard turned to look at Marcus Cole. "No one knows he is down here. This ain't no rescue. They'll go up the base looking for loot. A filthy backstabbing Rogue no doubt. No villain worth their bread would move against Arachnos. They won't come anywhere near here."

The Bane Spiders were wrong, however, for less than a minute after speaking there was a wave of unnatural white fire that incinerated them, felling all 4 in a second as a pair of vaguely humanoid shapes cavorted into the room.

Comprised of pure electrical energy the beings proceeded to make mischief with anything they could reach. Laughing maniacally the entire time they attacked the cell doors, feeding off the current.  
One climbed up the wall to claw at the security cameras.

Sedately and calmly following the appropriately named Gremlins was a woman with pure white skin, white, pupil and irisless eyes and white hair. Clad in a simple black body suit that plunged almost to her navel with gold gloves and boots she hardly looked like someone who could decimate an entire Arachnos base. Levitating patiently, waiting for the Gremlins to finish their work of breaking down the cell door.

She turned towards him, flicking some long hair out of her face as the door fell off its hinges.

Odd raised markings marred the white flesh on her face, giving the effect of something slowly taking over from within.

"Can you walk?" she asked, her accent, although faint, marking her as a Praetorian. Someone born in a different dimension, on a different earth. Statesman knew if she intended to take him to Tyrant, the Overlord of Praetorian Earth, it would be a death sentence.

"No" Statesman lied. He wouldn't go without a fight. Even as battered as he already was, he would not simply had himself over to this new captor.

From the sounds of things she had already cleared the base of any resistance. If he could lure her in close enough maybe he could over power her and escape.

A bright glow surrounded the woman's body as she moved closer in the empty air, feet never touching the ground. Statesman tensed but was surprised to feel the healing effects of an Empathy power. The open wounds that marred his flesh began to close, sinew and skin knotting itself back together.

The starvation and sleep deprivation only time could fix but thanks to the mysterious woman's intervention he was at least several steps away from death, rather than at its door step.

"Time is short and I need you to trust me. My name is Lady LoveDie, I am a Praetorian by birth, a Rogue by affiliation and a Controller by training. You are currently imprisoned by Lord Recluse in your own past." Lady LoveDie noticed the lack of surprise and added: "But I suspect you already knew that last part."

"I surmised. The buildings. They aren't as tall or as...ominous... as I remember Grandville being." Statesman replied, figuring it was in his favor to play along until she revealed who she was working with and why.

"Clever. You need to come with me. I will take you to a place outside of time so that you can heal up fully. I can make you but it will be far safer for both of us if you come willingly. I am defying a powerful man to rescue you and I plan to hide you in plain sight." Lady LoveDie extended one gloved hand to Statesman. "Easy way or hard way? Choose. Now."

Blood shot blue eyes flickered to the outstretched hand, then up the white face with its softly glowing eyes.

The white eyes stared back at him, one eyebrow lifted in a clear challenge.

Part of him wanted to fight, to escape whilst he felt he had the chance but the confirmation that he was in the past stayed his hand.

He had no way of returning to his own time. This woman, Lady LoveDie, claimed she did. He had to take the chance she was telling the truth or be stuck out of time forever.

Statesman finally gripped her hand and allowed Lady LoveDie to pull him to his feet.


	3. Stubborn? Who? Me?

Lady LoveDie actually would have preferred it if Statesman had chosen to fight her and make her use force. She suspected that taking to him Ouroborus would have been easier if he had been unconscious.

As it was she felt her heart pounding in her chest as they teleported in.

This was, by far, the trickiest part in lady LoveDie's opinion.

As it was, she needn't have worried. Ouroborus was so frequently used as a thoroughfare by so many that a yet another pair of Incarnates arriving didn't even warrant a second glance.

As emaciated as Statesman was and with his uniform in shreds he looked so far removed from the man so many knew and besides, he was believed dead by the world at large and there were many wanna-be heroes who styled themselves after Marcus Cole after all.

Lady LoveDie's white cleavage, out on display as usual, was more likely to garner stares than her escort.

"Come with me" Lady LoveDie ordered, grabbing Statesman by the elbow the second they had a chance and dragging him to the side of the Ouroborus platform.

She thought she heard him asking something but with all the other voices it was impossible to make out the words and she didn't want to waste time.

Airborne, as always, Lady LoveDie hauled Statesman off the side of the platform, fingers digging into the flesh of his wrists in an effort to keep hold of him. She couldn't recall if he could fly under his own power and did not feel she had the luxury of time to ask politely.

He'd fly or be carried, either way she wanted to put as much distance between her and the main floating island of Ouroboros as quickly as possible.

Statesman realized that their destination was one of the uninhabited floating atolls he could see in the distance and recalled her comment about hiding in plain sight. If he was inclined to be a gambler he would have laid odds that whomever Lady LoveDie was defying was back on the man made island they had teleported onto.

Lady LoveDie selected the atoll furthest from Ouroboros and landed them on the far side of it, where the rocks formed a cove like effect and thick grass blanketed the ground. To the left a heavy waterfall drowned out all other sounds in a swirl of liquid noise.

Statesman gratefully lowered his body to the ground, the plush grass 100 times more comfortable than the cell he had been in.

"I..." he began, trying to shake off the sudden lethargy that seemed to be afflicting him. He tried to summon a glare at Lady LoveDie, convinced she had cast some sort of sleep spell on him. As a Controller it would have been within her power.

She was floating serenely above him, however, watching him was calm white eyes.

"Don't fight it." she advised. "Your body is trying to go into Rest now that it knows you're safe."

"I want..!"

"Your questions can wait. Sleep!" Lady LoveDie ordered as if he was a child, folding her arms beneath her breasts and giving him a stern glare.

Statesman couldn't fight it any longer and despite the thousands of questions hammering around in his mind like angry bees he felt oblivion claiming him as the world slowly went black.

An almost affectionate smile tugged at Lady LoveDie's white lips. With gentle fingers she tugged the mask back away from his face, letting it pool around the base of his neck.

"Sleep tight, Cole"

Statesman came into awareness in a rush. It was a disturbing sensation to wake up from a sleep so deep there had been nothing. No dreams, no pain, just blissful black.

Someone, presumably Lady LoveDie, had tucked a make-shift pillow of balled up clothing under his head and thrown a thick, heavy cape over him as a blanket whilst he had slept. A surprisingly tender gesture from someone who was basically a stranger and self confessed Rogue.

He cast his eye around for the woman and found first the tips of her high heel clad feel resting innocuously in the grass level with his hip. Following the foot up her leg he found the rest of her to be reclining against a tree trunk, head tipped back, eyes closed and seemingly at total peace with the world.

Her long hair was wet, he noticed.

"Good morning." Lady LoveDie commented sardonically without opening her eyes.

"Is it morning? How long was I out?" Statesman asked, noting that the sky seemed unchanging from when he fell asleep. Perhaps he had only been out a few moments.

"Given we're outside of time I would posit that it is currently never o'clock. You slept for about 14 hours in Primal Earth time." Lady LoveDie said, finally moving her head to face him.

"Have you been here the entire time?"

"I have. Well, mostly. I did skinny dip in the waterfall about 20 minutes ago" Lady LoveDie commented and although her voice was serious Statesman perceived laughter in her softly glowing eyes which pleased him not a whit.

He moved to sit up and in an instant Lady LoveDie was at his side, attempting to arrest his movement.

"You should sleep more."

"Can't. I'm hungry."

"Ah. Good." Lady LoveDie stood easily. Hungry meant his body was healing and seeking nutrients in order to do so. She held up a finger to caution him to wait, then moved out of view towards the waterfall.

She had suspended a cooler full of food and weighted with leads from a long rope and dropped it into the deep pool earlier whilst swimming. The lack of sunlight in Ouroborus meant that the water was very cold within only a few meters below the surface. The perfect way to keep food cold.

Lady LoveDie drew up the rope now and returned to Statesman.

"Without knowing what you like I attempted to bring a little of anything that was highly nutritious but easy to digest. " she explained, laying out chicken, yoghurt, sweet cookies, sliced beef and various sandwich fixings.

He was surprised by her consideration as he eased himself into a sitting position. She was a Rogue, after all. They were not known to look out for anyone but themselves.

_She is certainly going above and beyond to make sure I am indebted to her. I can only image what sort of nightmare she has in store for me to settle the favor. _- Statesman glowered inwardly, covering his suspicions with the fact that his body still hurt after the months of abuse it was subjected to.

He grunted a little as he sat up which made Lady LoveDie peer at him closely but he waved her concerns away briskly to investigate the food.

Lady LoveDie shrugged and figured it was only himself he was hurting by being stubborn and prideful. If she needed to hit him with a couple sleep spells once he was done eating she would do so without hesitation.

She selected a cookie from the food and nibbled on it delicately, being careful not to get crumbs on her outfit. She had changed into a simple white dress. Large sections of the side were cut away and the edges were trimmed in gold making for an interesting contrast where the fabric ended and the expanses of her white skin began.

The effect was eye catching without a doubt and Statesman caught himself staring. No out of any particular form of desire but for the same reason anyone might look at something visually appealing.

"How did you get that way?" He found himself asking between mouthfuls of a chicken and Swiss cheese sandwich. " Are you a Mutant? Or was it Magic?"

"Technology, actually. Rikti. My Father appropriated some of their technology and used it to become a Super Hero. I stole it when I was a teenager but neglected to steal the instruction manual as well." Lady LoveDie said, her tone self deprecating. "I attempted to use too much of it too fast and it did this to me. My blood is pure nannites, now. Most of my vital organs have Rikti implants riddled through-out them. I am far more powerful than my Father could ever have dreamed, however"

"Your Father... is on Praetorian Earth?"

"Correct. My Mother also." Lady LoveDie nodded gracefully.

Statesman frowned. Most of his family had long since passed away. The longevity granted to him by the Well meant he had buried almost every person he had ever loved. He could not imagine willingly leaving any family member to establish a life in an entirely different dimension.

"Don't you miss them?"

"I can see them whenever I want, besides they drive me completely crazy, so hardly." Lady LoveDie replied flippantly and had he not have finished his sandwich already Statesman would have dropped it in shock.

"There is a way to come and go between here and there? Does Tyrant know this?!" Statesman demanded, the visions of another full scale Praetorian invasion looming in his mind like a Specter of death.

Lady LoveDie laughed at him openly, earning herself a dire glare.

"Praetoria is the in the middle of a Civil War. Even if some Loyalist had told Emperor Cole about the access point he is too busy holding his own backside to do anything about it. Besides, the access point is through Pocket D. Thanks to DJ Zero's non-combat manipulations only a limited amount of inorganic matter can pass through the portals at any amount of time making it useless to a dictator who has a robotic army."

Lady LoveDie selected another cookie and poured herself a glass of juice. Statesman was watching her warily, suspicion apparent in his blue eyes. She supposed that he was debating if he believed her.

"There is so much you don't know about, Cole. You see things in black and white when everything is just shades of gray. At least now you have the opportunity to learn."

"What, precisely, do you mean by that?" Statesman bit out. He was starting to feel that he did not like Lady LoveDie very much. She was entirely too mocking.

"You are a free man! Not just from Lord Recluse and the past but from your responsibilities. The world believes you dead. You can do anything, go anywhere from here."

"Just so long as I settle the debt that lays between us, right?" Statesman snarled.

"No debt." Lady LoveDie shook her head. "I want nothing from you, Cole. Other than, perhaps, you to sleep a while long before attempting anything to strenuous."

She remembered her Mother's stories of taking care of her injured Father following the war with Devouring Earth and how her Father had made his injuries worse by refusing to give himself time to properly heal.

"I find it awfully hard to believe a Rogue at her word." Statesman challenged.

"You would." Lady LoveDie replied without the least indication of having taken offense.


	4. 2 Praetorians & A Hero

"Well, he looks like death warmed up." Sakiya observed, large feathered wings beating lazily as she beheld the slumbering man and her friend.

"He looked worse before I hit him with every empathy power I have. He looked like a walking corpse." Lady LoveDie replied, brushing her white hair from out of her eyes and moving out of the down draft caused by Sakiya's wings.

"How is he?" Sakiya touched her forehead. "In the mind, you know?"

"I can't say. He honestly appears in quite good humor for someone who has been incarcerated, beaten and tortured and before that, was murdered in cold blood. I'd be ready to extract a depraved, gory revenge but his main concern seems to be getting strong enough to get away from me."

Sakiya landed, handing over a package of men's clothing for Statesman when he woke up:

"Sounds as if his mind is still in survival mode. I've encountered similar before. Once the body heals the mind starts to heal, or completely snaps."

"That sounds suspiciously like someone we both know, now doesn't it?" Lady LoveDie's lips pursed considering the implications from this.

"Emperor Cole." Sakiya nodded.

"I am going to be really annoyed if I am responsible for creating another Tyrant."

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Frankly I can't believe you actually pulled it off." Sakiya shook her head slightly, then faced her friend. "Still no clue what you're going to do now?"

"Nope and he is a stubborn butthead who would do the exact opposite of what I suggested anyway." Lady LoveDie shrugged and Sakiya laughed:

"You fancy him."

"That is hardly a secret or a revelation."

It was a well known within Sakiya and Lady LoveDie's circle of friends that Lady LoveDie had a small crush on the Mighty Statesman.

"There's no accounting for taste."

"Says the woman who can't see."

"Meanie." Sakiya poked her tongue out at her friend, who smiled angelically and fluttered her mascara black eyelashes. Sakiya looked back at Statesman. "How long has he been asleep?"

"Since eating, about 6 hours. He passed right out again, thank God. I was anticipating an argument and having to hit him with my Static Field a couple times." Lady LoveDie confessed, relief plainly present in her voice.

It had been obvious that Marcus Cole had wanted to stay awake and ask more questions but after packing away a significant amount of food and water he had professed to feeling dizzy and, after lying back down to stop the spinning in his head, had promptly fallen deeply asleep.

"Enjoy the respite whilst it lasts." Sakiya advised and, unfurling her large wings, gave her friend a quick hug goodbye before flying off into the distance towards the main island of Ouroboros.

Lady LoveDie had already been planning on doing exactly that. She doubted he would be as pliant, or well behaved next time he woke up. As his strength returned his willingness to stay still and inactive would fade.

It was obvious she would have to turn him loose sooner rather than later but was still loathed to try to actually plan anything, or bring any one else into her confidences.

Pondering her next step and all that she and Sakiya had discussed Lady LoveDie settled down in the grass near Statesman once more.

"If I am as free as you claim tell me how to return to Paragon City." Statesman demanded.

He had been silent ever since waking up over an hour ago. Lady LoveDie had been hoping the silence meant he had been thinking over what she had said about having the opportunity to learn but she rather suspected he had been merely trying to take her measure. He had sat up, eaten and drunk a little more, then watched her with seemingly impassive blue eyes.

"Certainly. You simply need to touch the portal we came through on the main island and you'll be able to return to your choice of locations." She explained.

"And you will make no effort to stop me?" He tested, climbing to his feet.

"None at all. Disappointing as it will be to go to the effort of saving you from the past to see you killed a second time in the present."

That stopped him, as she rather thought it would and Lady LoveDie smiled a gentle smile as she continued: "Your enemies took you down at your full strength, Cole. If you return to Paragon City in the state you are in every 2 bit street thug looking to make a name for himself is going to come looking for you and to be honest, I doubt you could fight off as little as 3 of them."

That stung his pride, she could tell by the way he sneered and looked away from her but it was the honest truth.

"I suppose you have some brilliant plan of what I should do and where I should go?" The sarcasm was practically palpable but Lady LoveDie refused to be goaded, still sitting where she had been.

"I have suggestions. I doubt their brilliance but they should keep you alive and safe for long enough to return to your full strength."

"Let me hear them, then." Statesman demanded.

"Your old ally, the Dream Doctor established a safehouse known as the Midnighter Club. They have resources and knowledge that frankly, you could use access too. The world has changed, Cole, whilst you stayed the same. Your death proved the adage 'Adapt or Die' once already. It is your call if you want to prove it a second time."

"I know more than you think I do." Statesman snarled.

"But less then you think you do." Lady LoveDie shot back. "I get that your pride has taken a kicking, Cole but don't be a fool! You have a 2nd chance, don't blow it because you're cranky. Travel Primal Earth, Praetoria and other Dimensions too, if you desire. Live in the Rogue Isles if the mood takes you. Try life from the other side of the law for a while. Evolve, now, whilst you still can."

Statesman was silent but from the mutinous look on his face Lady LoveDie was not at all confident that her words were having any effect whatsoever.

_Stubborn pain in my ass hero types. They are all the damn same..._ - she thought to herself. Statesman surprised her however as the deep scowl he wore slowly faded to one of consideration.

"Your suggestions do make some degree of sense. The blatant attempt to manipulate me into the new poster boy for the Rogue faction will be treated with the contempt it deserves." Statesmen told her.

"Ha, what attempt?" Lady LoveDie laughed, partially out of relief but mostly out of genuine amusement that that was the conclusion he had come to. "We wouldn't want you anyway, Cole! We've already got Desdemona and she has a way cuter ass."

The angry energy that had been keeping the still very weak Statesman on his feet deserted him at that and he felt himself growing dizzy.

Seeing him sway Lady LoveDie was instantly on her feet, arms going around him, legs braced firmly against the ground in case he keeled over.

"Sit!" she urged and Statesman thought he must be less with it than he had previously thought because he could have sworn there was a touch of affection in her tone of voice.

With her assistance he sat back down on the cool grass and noticed as he did the faint wrinkle on Lady LoveDie's small, white nose. He could hardly miss it, as physically close to him as she was, and it occurred to him that he must stink.

He hadn't bathed in over a month, no such facility had been provided to him in the Arachnos prison in which he had been contained.

"I'm sorry." he said, stiffly, more than a little embarrassed.

Lady LoveDie made a nonchalant gesture.

"A Lady cares not for such trifling things when there are far greater priorities"

Statesman looked at her, confused by her pronouncement. It seemed to imply that her title "Lady" was not merely part of a decorative, villainous code name but an actual Title conferred upon her family by a Ruler of some kind.

The more he thought of it the more he realized that, as she was Praetorian, there was nothing to say that this was not the exact case.

"Your Father, he was a Super Hero you said, must have been Knighted at some point, then?" Statesman questioned and Lady LoveDie was surprised at his ability to so quickly deduce that from what she had considered a rather silly, throw away statement.

"Yes. My Mother also. She was a high ranking Long Bow Agent when she was blinded. As the eldest daughter of Sir and Dame Lovelace it is correct and proper that I be addressed as Lady." Lady LoveDie informed him with an over the top, grandiose version of a Royal wave.

She was clearly poking fun at herself and Statesman couldn't help but smile at her antics.

In the privacy of her own head Lady LoveDie had no problem admitting it was a damn cute smile.

Silence stretched out between them but for the first time it was not antagonistic or awkward. It continued for several seconds before Statesman broke it:

"I need a bath"

"The waterfall is over there and I have a change of clothes for you."

He began to rise from his sitting position, this time much slower and much more carefully than earlier. Lady LoveDie rose too, picking up the clothes Sakiya had delivered early and making it very clear she intended to accompany him.

Statesman glared at her but she merely smiled an innocent, practically angelic smile at him and continued to stick close by in case he came over all dizzy again.

His movements were slow and precise as he walked toward the sound of rushing water. Lady LoveDie, now airborne, followed sedately behind him taking care not to rush him but never be more than an arms length or two away.

Statesman accepted his airborne escort right up until the edge of the falls where the rushing water collected in a deep, turquoise pool before slipping over the side to form another cascading waterfall.

"I will be fine." He ground out, throwing an unimpressed look over his shoulder at Lady LoveDie.

"I am sure you will be but whilst ever there is a chance of your being unable to stand whilst in deep water I am going to stick close." Lady LoveDie replied practically, a tone of finality in her Praetorian accented voice.

He didn't like it but he could not argue with her logic.

"Fine! At least turn around, then!"

"If I must." Lady LoveDie laughed, spinning neatly around in mid air and presenting him with her back.

For several moments Statesman considered lacing his hands together and striking her from behind with a double handed blow that would poleaxe even the strongest foe.

"Whats the matter, Cole, afraid of the cold? Here!" Lady LoveDie spun around to face the pool and with a frightening display of ease unleashed a white wave of pure flame across the surface of the water. It was the same power he had seen her use to fell his Bane Spider Guards. Lady LoveDie gave him a smirk as she put her hands over her eyes to preserve his modesty. "There you go, Princess."

Her tone of voice was amused and, he thought, almost affectionate again and Statesman gave a slight snort of laughter beside himself.

She was obnoxious, provoking and mocking and he did not trust her but to this point all her actions had been to assist him. Statesman found he could not strike her down in cold blood.

He instead turned himself to the task of removing the shreds of his uniform from his body and stepping into the water. The temperature was crisp enough to send a chill shooting up his spine but it was refreshing rather than unpleasant, no doubt thanks to Lady LoveDie's powers.

Statesman waded in up to the top of his ribs and felt the cool water clearing some of the cobwebs out of his mind.

"All set? Lady LoveDie questioned dropping her hands from her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey! None of that!" Statesman protested, sinking down to his chin in the water.

"What? I can't see anything and if you pass out you're not going to be able to call out a warning to me, now are you." Lady LoveDie said with calm logic that was completely belied by her cheeky smile.

Statesman scowled at her, the glare getting progressively more dire until Lady LoveDie finally huffed, threw up her hands in defeat and turned her back to him again: "Fine! Fine. If you start feeling dizzy just gurgle and flail pathetically and hope I hear you in time to haul your drowning butt out of the water."

"You're obnoxious." Statesman muttered.

"Thank you!" Lady LoveDie chirped as if he had paid her the nicest compliment she had ever heard.


	5. The Midnighter Club

"You've not slept" Statesman observed.

Feeling far more hale and hearty after a nice, long soak in the waterfall and changing clothes he was lying on his side facing his seated companion, tucked under the oversized cape ones more. His observation came as Lady LoveDie set the rest of the cookies and a glass of water down beside him.

With her pure white skin it was hard to tell but he thought he could see bags beneath her eyes and the normally bright glow of them seemed to have dimmed.

"Someone needed to stay on guard and you required sleep far more than I did." Lady LoveDie replied simply. She did not consider it at issue.

Statesman looked at her meaningfully and Lady LoveDie arched a sleek eyebrow, giving him an unamused "what?" kind of expression.

He silently lifted up the side of the cape, there was more than enough room beneath it for them both to lie comfortably.

Lady LoveDie couldn't help but admit that it was extremely tempting. She was tired and there was the small matter of her niggling crush which was clouding her decisions but she was an entirely practical sort of Rogue and so shook her head:

"I will be fine for many more hours yet. You still need the sleep far more than I do."

Statesman shook his head and lifted the cape a little higher:

"I've slept too much, my mind is too awake. I can continue to rest my body but still keep on guard whilst you sleep"

"Either way..." Lady LoveDie began only to be interrupted.

"Shouldn't a Lady know not to argue with a Gentleman when he's being chivalrous?"

There was an amused smirk on Statesman's face and Lady LoveDie couldn't help but laugh;

"Now who is being obnoxious, Cole?"

"Me and I shall continue to do so until you come and lie down. You would hate to have gone to all the effort to save me only to see me injure myself because you won't humor me." Statesman threatened and Lady LoveDie laughed again.

"Blackmail, Cole?" Lady LoveDie asked imperiously. "What would your goody goody hero friends say?"

She moved over to his side as she spoke, however, kicking off her shoes before stretching out and allowing him to flap the cape over her.

Lady LoveDie rolled onto her side with her back to Statesman and adjusted her shoulders a little to get comfortable. As she did part of her back contacted briefly with his ribcage and even so quickly she could feel the sharply prominent bones.

Without thinking she put her hand behind her and splayed it over one of the points she had bumped.

"Your poor ribs." Lady LoveDie murmured. The image of him as she had found him in the cell, beaten, gaunt and emaciated seemed to be burned in her mind.

Statesman moved away from her hand, muttering: "Go to sleep" at her and it occurred to Lady LoveDie that she was being awkward.

_Eh, its what he gets for making me sleep here_ – Lady LoveDie decided and, tucking one arm under her head closed her eyes to sleep, still trying to clear the memory from her mind.

* * *

It was sometime later that the movement of Statesman sliding out from beneath the cloak woke her. Suspicious, Lady LoveDie kept her breathing rhythmic and her eyes closed, pantomiming still being deeply asleep.

The lack of a moving sun made it difficult to precisely pinpoint how long she had slept but she could hear the sound of her things being rifled through. Statesman had clearly decided it was high time he left and was doing just that.

Unconcerned by this Lady LoveDie continued feigning sleep until everything was silent once more and she was certain Statesman was far enough away not to see her sit up.

He had pocketed a small jump pack and her I.D and as she swept her eyes out towards to main island of Ouroborus she could make out a small figure, clad all in black, flying easily towards the portal that would lead back to the Rogue Isles.

Lady LoveDie smiled to herself, amused that Statesman would think her so easily played. Given that he had stolen her I.D it was quite easy to surmise where his intended destination was. She stood, and stretched before whispering: "Sakiya."

_Yes?_ - came the lazy reply in Lady LoveDie's mind.

"By chance are you near the Midnighter Club?"

_I could get there quickly if I needed, why?_

Even via the whisper there was clear suspicion in Sakiya's tone.

"Keep watch for Cole, I suspect he is about to turn up there."

There was silence for a reply and Lady LoveDie could only presume it was due to Sakiya being unable to talk as she teleported from where-ever she had been.

Lady LoveDie began to fly lazily towards the main island and her patience was rewarded a few moments later.

_He's here... huh, now that is odd_

"Oh?"

_He didn't cross straight over to blue side. He sat right down in the library and looks... lost_

By this stage Lady LoveDie had teleported from Ouroborus to Cap Au Diable and was waiting outside the Midnighter Club when Sakiya exited.

"Me of little faith. I told him about Dream Doctor and the Midnighter Club but I never honestly expected him to take my advice on it."

"Maybe he didn't. He looked seriously unwell and tired when he sat down. The act of escaping from you might simply have worn him out." Sakiya mused.

"Possibly. Either way, I got what I wanted."

"You usually do. Now what?"

"Personally, I vote we leave him there and see how to future plays out."


End file.
